Free Derry hostel beds on offer
Backpackers are being given the chance to stay at Derry City Independent hostel in a bid to boost visitor numbers
A Derry hostel has come up with a novel way of beating the recession - by letting backpackers stay for free.
“There’s no catch,” says Kylie Barsdell, owner of Derry City Independent Hostel on Great James Street.
“Backpackers can stay from two to four nights free until Easter week and then through the winter season right up until St Patrick’s Day next year,” he says.
Instead of paying the usual rates for accommodation, the hostel owner says payment will be left to the discretion of backpackers.
“We will give everyone the chance to make a contribution to the hostel’s running costs when they are leaving. If they want, they can ‘tip’ us what they think the hostel was worth to them. But if they decide that they cannot make any contribution, that’s up to them. It will be free. ”
The unique move is designed to encourage more people to come to the city.
“Some backpackers’ hostel occupancy rates in Ireland have almost halved in the last four years and many have closed down or gone part time,” Kyle says. “We saw that we had a lot of free beds in the winter months and decided that we might as well be filling the beds if we are open, in a bid to get more people to come to Derry.”
He says potentially giving away free stays can help put Derry firmly back on the backpacking map.
“Hopefully by making a real Free Derry Hostel , we can drive backpackers numbers back up and make Derry city the ‘must visit destination’ that we want it to be.”
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Weather for Derry
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
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Steve McPhilemy Paddywagon Tours
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 11:34 PMoops, meant to write that the tourists would NOT be saying 'isnt that city called Derry great, they have FREE hostels".
Steve McPhilemy Paddywagon Tours
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 11:32 PMThis article should have been kept for April Fools day, it had us in stitches in the office when we read it. This isnt a 'novel way of beating the recession', its a gimmick and an attempt at a price-war with other tourist-accommodation providers in both the Derry Hostel and B&B sector . If every hotel and hostel started behaving like this, they'd all go broke together and the only one laughing would be the tourists who would be saying 'isnt that city called Derry great, they have FREE hostels", but rather they'd say 'listen theres a city in Ireland where the poeple are so silly they dont charge you to stay in their accommodation". If this hostel is really suggesting that offering FREE accommodation is going to increase tourism to Derry then they might as well go off and open a hostel on Mars too, because theyre already on a totally different planet. I doubt anyone else will be taking part in this race to the bottom.
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